Truly Uniting Against Hate
I want to express my gratitude for the City of Alameda seeking unity against hatred. I appreciate the good intention and direction this resolution seeks to move this city.
However, there are a few inaccuracies and myths within the resolution and background that I wish to address. I also wish to propose a few activities and policy solutions to bring inclusivity towards fruition.
In an era of alternative truth, fake news, and false “truth and lies,” it is important to distinguish between our situation and our aspirations, between tales and the facts we tell, and between our mythical stories and our history.
The United States is NOT a nation of immigrants
The resolution begins with the statement, “The United States is a nation of immigrants.” While this may be true for some, this does not include me or my ancestors. My African ancestors did not immigrant to the shores of Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana, and the other places we are unable to trace, they were kidnapped and forcibly brought here, enslaved, and not valued as humans. Our indigenous ancestors did not immigrate here on the Mayflower. They were displaced by the European colonist and settlers. As Professor Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, professor emerita, of Cal State Hayward wrote in 2006, “This is a convenient myth developed as a response to the 1960s movements against colonialism, neocolonialism, and white supremacy. The ruling class and its brain trust offered multiculturalism, diversity, and affirmative action in response to demands for decolonization, justice, reparations, social equality, an end of imperialism, and the rewriting of history — not to be “inclusive” — but to be accurate.”
Alameda does not have a century-long tradition of embracing diversity
Second, the agenda item background states, “Alameda has a century-long tradition of embracing diversity and respecting the civil and human rights of its residents, while acknowledging and understanding that many historic laws, at every level, were often at odds with progress.”
In July, I spoke at a meeting of the Democratic Club of Alameda. The presentation, “History, memory, public policy, and the hidden narrative of race in Alameda” focused on the role of of memory and history and the legacy of white supremacy in public policy formation and maintenance in Alameda, specifically related to housing, policing, and public space. It is available online.
I spoke about “white supremacy” as a historically based system of exploitation and oppression. People of color, nations, whole continents have been victimized by this system in ordre to develop and defend a system of power, privilege, and wealth exclusively for white people. Now why this occurs, you can take your pick and read Theodore Allen or Frances Cress Welsing. The point being, this is based on institutions and is a system which benefits a group of people to the detriment of others.
Alameda: City of Homes and Exclusion
I also shared a few historical truths about Alameda in housing, policing, and public space. I will recount a few here:
Alameda has a legacy of racially restrictive covenants which barred non-white people from purchasing or living in homes in a number of areas of Alameda;
The northern part of Alameda was redlined, making it difficult and near to impossible for non-white people to receive mortgage insurance for homes or purchase homes in other areas;
During WW2, the Alameda Housing Authority intentionally segregated war time housing projects, and then-Mayor Milton Godfrey promised keeping Negroes out of Alameda would “receive the unceasing vigilance” of government;
In 1964, 73 percent of Alameda residents voted in favor of Proposition 14; this was a statewide initiative that sought to overturn the Rumford Fair Housing Act.
Finally, in 1973, the majority white electorate passed Measure A, banning apartment construction in Alameda. There is evidence that it was seen as discriminatory at the time of its passage; and there have been two lawsuits targeting it as discriminatory by race and class.
In regards to policing, I shared information about the 1991 computer text message scandal in which officers exchanged racist messages, as well as data shows unequal policing in Alameda:
The disparities in marijuana-related felony arrests from 1997-2017
The disproportionate traffic stops of African Americans over the past five years
Finally, I discussed the recent efforts to remove white supremacists symbols from public spaces in Alameda, including:
Jackson Park, named after Andrew Jackson was an enslaver of humans that also earned the name, “Indian Killer,” and his actions led to the “Trail of Tears.” (http://bit.ly/renamejackson)
Henry H. Haight Elementary, a white supremacist former California Governor who opposed Black and Chinese suffrage and opposed Asian immigration (See http://renamehaight.wordpress.com)
These are public spaces where children learn and elders gather–not to mention the numerous streets named after slaveholders and white supremacists.
This is the Alameda we’ve inherited. So the clause that, “recently, deep divisions across the country spread to our own community and led to a rise in expressions of hate,” denies this island’s own legacy.
I agree with the clause that education is part of true healing, and I add education is a part of developing a society where people can truly belong. That’s why I’m sharing this information today. However, if we only share mythology and engage in shallow feel good activities and not address root cause of white supremacist ideology, hatred, intolerance, bigotry, and violence will continue.
We can mask it and call it “hate,” but until we name it we will not dismantle it.
Second, to “build inclusive and equitable communities for all”, it is important to have benchmark data to see where we are and plot a place where we wish to be. This can be done by:
Examine the ranks of city staff and examine the racial diversity, across departments, at both rank and file and managerial levels
Examine pedestrian and traffic stop data for Alameda police, regularly; and
Examine current housing programs and include race in your variables of data collection;
And create a space for a conversation about the white supremacist monuments hidden in plain sight here in Alameda.
Lastly, I want to share an opportunity for engagement next week. Students, parents, teachers, and alumni of Haight Elementary School have an opportunity to rename their school. Next Thursday, there will be an election, a survey to decide if they will rename and reclaim their school, or maintain Haight. We will see if that community is United Against Haight.
Again, I commend you for your intention and desire to be more inclusive. I encourage you to go deeper. As policy makers, it is important to be informed about historical injustices to enable us to create better policies that are inclusive.
